June 30, 2020
Novi, Michigan — BLM GROUP USA’s SMART Bender is an all-electric CNC bending machine for wires and tubes up to 1.1” (28mm) with a compact layout and a wide range of loading/unloading options that enables non-stop operation and the capability to run without a dedicated operator.
This provides a turnkey solution for companies looking for productivity, safety and autonomy. The SMART is particularly well-suited for bending complicated shapes and multiple radii tubes used in the automotive, air conditioning, heating and refrigeration industries.
The SMART is capable of handling both right-hand and left-hand bending of tube, wire or hybrid tubes – those with flanges, end forms, etc., and stack tooling provides multiple radius capability.
The all-electric axis control enables the production of tight bend radii, even less than 1D, as well as complex shapes with multiple radii or for pre-assembled tubes with flanges, end forms or fittings with perfect repeatability and consistent accuracy. Part bend positions, tooling information, and power parameters are all saved together in the part program. When a job is repeated, operators simply mount the tools and recall the program for extremely quick setup and changeover. It also eliminates the need for a bender set up specialist.
The SMART tube bender can be used in a wide range of configurations, from manual to robotic loading or with a range of automated loaders designed to handle straight tubes or pre-assembled tubes with formed ends, flanges or fittings. Its high productivity in conjunction with a low entry price provides a very competitive price per piece. Savings are also achieved through minimum energy consumption of just 2kW.
Key to the SMART’s efficiency is the BLM Group VGP3D programming software, which allows users to go from an idea to the part in one click. The VGP3Dsoftware checks part feasibility to eliminate the risk of collisions which often occur during initial part tryout. It calculates the real cycle time in advance to reduce the time needed to create accurate quotes or production estimates, and it automatically generates the part program once feasibility is verified.